


Forever, Perhaps?

by quinnfabs



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluffy, Journalist!Sebastian, M/M, Vogue!Kurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-06-11
Packaged: 2018-04-01 10:00:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4015513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quinnfabs/pseuds/quinnfabs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt and Sebastian have become close friends ever since they first met as coworkers at Vogue.com. Suddenly, they find themselves thrown headfirst into a fake engagement because of a joke gone completely wrong. What happens when they realize, that maybe, they’d be okay with it being a real one? (based on the prompt, ‘I proposed to you as a joke but my mom, who’s been wanting me to settle down, thought it was serious and we’re kind of going along with it until we can break it to her gently.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“It’s honestly kind of ridiculous the lengths that people go to for proposals.” Kurt mutters, annoyed.

Sebastian snorts, “Right? I mean, I guess the person who’s receiving the huge ass proposal digs it, but everyone watching? It’s so awkward.”

“I mean, I understand being romantic, I’m the one who wanted to release glitter doves at my Dad’s wedding, after all! But at this point, I think our friends are just getting out of hand. I mean, tattooing the words ‘Will you marry me?’ onto your skin is _not_ romantic!” Kurt nearly shrieks.

Sebastian laughs, “Yeah, whatever happened to simplicity like, ‘Baby, you gonna make an honest man out of me?’” he mumbles, teasing.

“Please, nothing could make _you_ an honest man.” Kurt responds, tone equally fond.

Sebastian chuckles, “I don’t know I think I’d make an exception for someone with an ass as excellent as yours.”

“You saying what I think you’re saying, Seb?” Kurt exclaims, in mock surprise.

“That’s right baby, will you marry me?” Sebastian says, getting down on one knee, grinning wildly.

Kurt’s laugh is high pitched and bright when he says, “Yes, a thousand times yes!”

They’re joking, of course they are. They might have a twisted sense of humor, but it’s kind of funny to them, how nearly everyone they know has been obsessed with getting engaged and settling down into committed relationships. He knows that they’re getting older, but it’s kind of ridiculous the rapidity at which his friends have chosen to get married. Like each of them is trying to outdo the other. He’s not particularly surprised if that’s actually what’s happening, either, given how prone to competitive dramatics his friends are.

Luckily, _he_ managed to grow out of that.

Kurt had just gotten a phone call from a frantic Tina, exclaiming that Artie had finally proposed. He turned to Sebastian groaning after he hung up, because he’d inevitably have to help plan the wedding. Quite honestly, he was _exhausted_ by the mere thought. Although he’s always loved the excitement of weddings, and the romanticism of planning a perfect wedding for his friends, he was _sick and tired_ of the pitying looks he got. The reassuring pats on the shoulder, and the constant statements of, “You know, my friend Jacob is gay, I could give you his number,” as if he wasn’t capable of getting a date on his own, as if the only qualifier to having a relationship with someone was a compatible sexuality. He’d heard the words, “Don’t worry, it’ll be your turn soon” chirped at him one too many times.

He doesn’t even _want_ to be with someone right now, he’s working his way up the fashion world at Vogue, and he has more important things to worry about than a boyfriend. Really, Kurt kind of hates that all his friends seem to have been caught by some vicious bug, telling them that if they didn’t get married now, they never would. That _everyone_ had to get married now.

He knows that it’s quite a different view on marriage than he had years ago in high school, when he couldn’t _wait_ for that special someone to whisk him away and to settle down. But then, he _grew up,_ understood that fulfillment in life came from having a career and people who made him happy _._ He realized that marriage wasn’t the be-all end all of life, and that getting married early certainly wouldn’t do him any favors. It’s additional pressure which he’s quite frankly, not ready for. The rate he’s going, he’s not sure he’ll ever be ready for it.

Even with his current opinion on marriage and engagement, Kurt can’t stop himself from laughing out loud, because the thought (and sight) of Sebastian down on one knee, pretending to propose to him is truly ridiculous. Sebastian’s grinning at him as he stands up to pull him into a twirl.

\---

Sebastian’s mother, Camille, is hiding in the corner, outside of the room, trying to be as quiet as possible. Happy tears streaming down her face, because all she’s ever wanted was for her little boy to settle down, and there he was, engaged. She only heard the tail end of the proposal, and she’s _sure_ Sebastian gave some kind of speech. Hearing Kurt say yes, so earnest and bright; she knows that the two of them will be happy for a very long time.

She’s not going to say “I told you so,” even though she desperately wants to. She always knew that Bastian would end up with Kurt, mother’s intuition, and she’s ecstatic that she got to witness their engagement, because that’s all she’s wanted for her son.

She decides to give them a moment alone, they’ve earned it, and sets off to make breakfast for her boys. After all, her soon to be son-in-law deserves _some_ special treatment.

She loves having Sebastian at home, even if it’s just for a long weekend. She loves even more that Sebastian brought Kurt with him, felt comfortable enough to _propose_ to him here.

She’s putting together ingredients in the kitchen, as she ponders on how she missed the signs that Kurt and Sebastian were together. She always knew that Kurt was important to her son, ever since the beginning, especially considering that he was the first guy that Sebastian had ever brought home. Even so, she never quite realized _how special_ he was. She’d always been amused by the tone of Sebastian’s voice when he mentioned Kurt, how soft and excitable he’d sound while retelling an anecdote involving him.

So really, the signs were all there. It was just a matter of piecing them together.

When they come downstairs for breakfast, she tries really _really_ hard not to let her excitement be obvious, but she can’t help but grin when she sees the way Kurt’s smiling at her son.

She keeps grinning, maybe a little too hard, at Sebastian when she asks, “Pancakes?”

“Um, sure mom. You know what I like.” Sebastian responds, looking at her warily.

“And would you like some, Kurt?” she turns to Kurt, her smile growing a touch larger.

“Of course, Camille, you know you make the best food.” Kurt replies, seemingly confused by her ever growing grin.

“Please Kurt, call me Mom” she exclaims, grabbing his hand. She gasps in disgust, “Bastian! I raised you better than to propose without a ring,” at the sight of Kurt’s bare ring finger.

Sebastian’s eyes widen when he asks “Mom, what?” the shock evident on his face.

She _was_ going to wait until they told her themselves, but she clearly can’t control herself, so she explains, “Look, I’m sorry. I walked over to your room in the morning to see what you wanted for breakfast and I _maybe_ stayed around in the back to hear you propose to him.” She says with a smile, tears are pooling in her eyes, she can’t help it, her little boy is growing up and getting _married._

Sebastian looks like he wants to say something, but she keeps going, because there’s so much emotion bubbling up inside of her, she feels like she might _burst_ with it, so she has to let it all out, now that she’s started. “Sebastian, darling, I am so pleased, you’ve picked a wonderful husband-to-be. You have my approval, through and through.”

She turns back to Kurt and grabs both of his hands, “And Kurt, I wouldn’t trust anyone else with my son’s hand. You’re truly divine.”

Kurt smiles, a huge genuine grin, and says, “Thank you,” he pauses for a moment before squeezing her hands, “ _Mom_.” She misses the glare that Sebastian throws Kurt, because she closes her eyes to stop the tears from falling.

Camille pulls away from Kurt and whispers, voice quivering, “Oh, it’s so beautiful to hear you say that. I’m sorry I’m so emotional. I never knew if this day would come. I’ve been telling Bastian to settle down for years, but he never listens! You know how he is.” she finishes with a flourish and a wink, never letting the tears fall.

“And, after his father passed, a few years back, I just,” she pauses, to get her thoughts together, “I always hoped that Andrew would be around for this day, but I’m so happy that _I am.”_

Sebastian looks overwhelmed, and she sees how Kurt has moved closer to Sebastian, tight grip his wrist with his thumb rubbing small reassuring circles there at the mention of Sebastian’s father. She feels bad for pouring out her emotions, bringing back the memories of Andrew while they’re both probably still giddy and reeling in excitement from the engagement, so she quickly kisses both of their cheeks and smiles.

“Pancakes will be ready soon, you guys go set the table up, and I want to hear all about how you got together and _completely forgot to let me know!_ God, does Burt know? Can I be the one to tell him? He’ll be so excited!” Her words are quick and happy, as she shoves them towards the table.

\---

When they’re both at the table, far away from his mother, Sebastian smacks Kurt on the shoulder, “Why the hell did you go along with it?”

Kurt rubs at his shoulder and Sebastian doesn’t feel bad about it, because Kurt deserves it, “Didn’t you hear her? She was so happy! I wasn’t going to ruin that.”

Sebastian groans but he can’t help but agree, it _had_ been a while since he’d heard his mother that excited, especially since his father passed, “Well what are we supposed to do now, idiot?”

“We could tell her we broke up?” Kurt responds, eyebrow raised.

“After I _just_ proposed? And completely break my mother’s heart? I don’t fucking think so, asshole.” Sebastian whispers back, furious.

Kurt concedes, mutters, “Fine, fine. We could just go with it. For a while.”

Sebastian blinks a few times before saying, “I honestly hate you.”

“You should be nicer to your fiancé, Seb.” Kurt replies, clicking his tongue and shaking his head.

Sebastian rolls his eyes, “I _hate you._ ”

“Whatever. You still owe me a ring.” Kurt exclaims, wiggling his fingers in Sebastian’s face.

Sebastian grumbles back, “I can’t _wait_ for Burt to find out. He’s gonna kill you for not telling him.”

Kurt pales at the thought, and Sebastian’s thoroughly satisfied by the nervousness on his face. “Shit. Camille wasn’t kidding about wanting to be the one to tell him, was she?” Kurt exclaims, worried.

“Yup. And you know your dad, he’ll be _just_ as happy as she is. I _know_ he’s been giving you the same bullshit about settling down that she’s been giving me,” Sebastian seethes.

“We’re fucked, aren’t we?” Kurt says, dejected.

“Yeah, knowing them we’ll have to fake a damn wedding to get them off our backs.” Sebastian laughs.

“Don’t joke, Seb. We might have to.” Kurt looks horrified, and Sebastian feels kind of bad.

But, while staring at the distraught look on Kurt’s face, Sebastian can’t stop himself from laughing harder. Just a few moments ago they were mocking their friends for constantly getting engaged, and here they are talking about a _fake wedding._ “At least we know that you’re a good wedding planner.” He says, knocking his shoulder against Kurt’s.

Kurt smiles, but it quickly fades. “Seb, honestly. We have to figure out a way out of this. I don’t want to hurt our parents!”

Sebastian agrees, “You think I do? I haven’t seen my mom that happy in years.”

“I know, I know.” Kurt mutters, grabbing Sebastian’s hand for reassurance.

Sebastian gasps briefly at the contact, whispers, “We’ll fix it, don’t worry” with a weak smile. Kurt returns it, and Sebastian thinks, “There’s no one else I’d rather be fake engaged to.”

He doesn’t let himself linger on the thought for too long, though.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of Kurt's thoughts and how Kurt and Sebastian met.

After breakfast, Kurt went quickly upstairs to Sebastian’s room, smile bright although fake. He just needed a moment to breathe, in private. Sebastian must have understood, because he stayed downstairs with his mother. Kurt tries not to feel too guilty that he left Seb by himself to answer his mother’s prying questions on his own, but he needs this, needs this time for himself. He’s always needed a breather, a moment to himself after stressful situations. He cherishes the way time alone has always helped interpret situations and come up with ideas.

Kurt sits back on Sebastian’s bed, against his pillows, and thinks back to the day that he’d first met Sebastian, five years ago, when he was another one of the writers at Vogue.com. Sebastian was only working there because he wanted to become a journalist and it was one of the only places that accepted his application after he’d applied to many other firms.

For Sebastian, Vogue was just a stepping stone to him writing _real_ stories, as he called them. Kurt, on the other hand, was thrilled to working alongside Isabelle, surrounded by a variety fashion geniuses. It was thrilling to be in an atmosphere which not only appreciated his eccentric ideas, but fully embraced them. He certainly got that kind of appreciation while studying at Parsons, but it was different when he graduated and was finally working the job of his dreams.

He remembers how Sebastian was the only coworker who didn’t really understand fashion, never had that deep appreciation for it, not in the way the rest of them did. Because of that, Kurt was quick to judge him as an elitist asshole and immediately hated him and his entitled personality. At the time, he found it ridiculous that a guy with a _popped collar_ had any grounds to insult his more daring fashion choices. Because even if he was very much outside of the box of what “normal” fashion looked like (and proudly so), at least he didn’t look like a cliché.

When he gets into a particularly self-loathing mood, he can still Seb’s scathing words, “At least I don’t look like overgrown Barbie doll with no friends,” ringing in his ears. The memory is clear, right down to the way he said it, with a sneer. He knows it’s not fair to dwell on those words, not when he knows that he’s made far worse comments to Sebastian, because he’s learned how to pick and choose words specifically to hurt, phrase them until they’re vicious, intended to slice.

They don’t apologize for the things they say, not really, because they know that at the end of the day, they’d be more than ready to use the same words they use to cut each other, to defend the other as well.

It only took working a few projects together for Kurt to realize that Sebastian truly was a talented writer, after all, Vogue knew what they were doing when they hired him, even with Isabelle’s soft spot for lost boys. Sebastian had a way with words that helped highlight trends and encourage return readers, and Kurt was definitely impressed, though it took him a while to admit it.

It didn’t take much longer after that for Kurt to begrudgingly acknowledge that Sebastian wasn’t all that entitled, at all. They got to know each other better, as their snarky coffee breaks slowly shifted and became friendly, humorous. The snark was still there of course, but it was kinder, gentler, even. There was considerably less heat behind it, and it was more amusing than hurtful.

They would discuss the many merits of working at a place where gorgeous models wandered around daily, the woes of high school, their family life. It had been a while since Kurt had trusted someone so fully.

It didn’t take Sebastian long after they met to find another job, one that suited his interests more fully, especially with the glowing recommendation letter that Isabelle undoubtedly provided him with. Sebastian was now working at The New Yorker, a dream come true for him, and an opportunity to finally work on those real hard-hitting stories, like he had always wanted. Kurt was happy to continue at Vogue, working on his own designs on the side.

Even though they longer worked alongside each other, they managed to remain close friends. If anything, Kurt thinks, they’ve become better friends since they _stopped_ being coworkers. Because they no longer were in the same space because work demanded it, they spent time with each other because _they_ demanded it.

All of these aspects of their friendship led to Kurt being not particularly surprised when Sebastian invited him over to his mother’s house for the weekend, claiming that Camille missed him.

He had met Camille many times before, as she lived in New York as well. They had even spent some of the summer together, when Burt and Carole came to surprise Kurt, claiming that they missed him and that he worked too hard.

He doesn’t think about the fact that it’s a little weird the way Sebastian and his families have become interconnected, the way Camille was so eager to discuss the engagement with Burt. He doesn’t want to acknowledge the extent to which their lives have intertwined, in so many different aspects.

Kurt recalls how disappointed he was when he realized he wasn’t able to go home for the holidays, this past December. He understood why Burt and Carole couldn’t fly out for another trip to New York; they needed to save up, after all. So he’d been feeling homesick for a while now, and he wonders if Sebastian realized that, if that was why he invited Kurt over this weekend.

While he appreciates the possibility and kindness behind that sentiment, he’s not sure he feels completely comfortable with pretending to be _engaged_ while he was here.

A joke gone completely wrong, and most of it was his own fault, he realizes. But he didn’t want to be the one to rain on Camille’s parade, not when she’d so graciously allowed him to stay in her own home. Not to mention his hatred of disappointing people, parents especially.

He can’t help but remember the way something warm filled his heart with Camille’s whole hearted approval of him, the way wanted him to call her _mom._ The way it felt so wonderful, so normal, to actually do it. He doesn’t want to put a name to the feelings bursting through him, though.

He instead pays attention to the immediate need for a _solution,_ to get out of this quickly with minimal damage. His mind going into overdrive, already trying to plan the best ways to let Camille know that they weren’t really engaged, before she got too excited and followed through with her desire to call Burt.

He managed to get her to back down, if only for a while, claiming that he wanted to tell his father in person. So while one crisis was certainly averted, the more imminent issue of letting Camille down gently made him nervous.

The way he sees it, the best thing to do would be, in a few months, tell her that they realized the commitment was too soon, too fast. That they still care about each other, (because the thought of not being allowed back into Camille’s home to talk recipes kind of breaks his heart), but they realized that they were better off as friends. Painless and easy.

All they really have to do now is play _engaged couple_ well enough to make sure that the smile never leaves her face. And sure, Kurt never went into acting, but he’s learned more than enough from Rachel, and he can certainly play _this_ role. Especially with all the experience he’s gotten hanging out with his engaged friends, lately. 

He breathes in, deep, and imagines cuddling close to Sebastian on the couch when they all sit down to watch the news. Kissing him on the forehead, pulling him in for long, lazy embraces. Holding his hand, caressing his fingers between his own, cradling his face between his hands and leaning in for a kiss...

He ignores the way that just the thought of it all leaves butterflies in his stomach, fluttering gently in the pit of his stomach. He forces himself to focus on Camille, and how he’ll make sure he does everything to keep her blissful, and unaware of their joke.

He tries not to think about the implications behind the fact that he’s willing to go to such great lengths _just_ to make Sebastian’s mother happy. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian POV, and the planning begins.

His mom is staring at him with a small sneaky smile and he wants to be angry with Kurt for leaving him here alone, but he also is fully aware of the manner in which Kurt tends to shut off entirely when he gets stressed. Kurt probably wouldn’t have been all that useful here anyway, so he doesn’t protest when Kurt mumbles something about needing to call someone for work.

“I didn’t want to bring this up in front of him again, but I’ll need you to start off by explaining to me why exactly you didn’t have a ring? Honestly, Bastian, it’s unacceptable.” His mother protests, with a slight but intent glare.

“ _Maman,”_ he whines, “I just thought it would be more romantic to pick the ring out together.” He doesn’t know what possessed him to say that, but he’s glad he did because his mom looks pleased.

“Well, alright, that seems fair. I know you two wanted to keep the relationship to yourselves and that’s why you never told me,” She says it patiently, not accusatory, which Sebastian appreciates. She continues, smiling wide, “But I am just so happy that you’ll have someone as lovely as Kurt to grow old with,” her eyes still shining with unshed tears. 

He merely nods, smile thin, because there’s nothing he can say to that. He can’t say, “Mom, it’s all a joke, I’m actually completely and fully single, drastically so, actually. Not to mention the fact that I’m still not too keen on getting married,” because he remembers the argument they had months ago about the same thing. The way she was relentless in reminding him how important love was. How she kept pointing out that he was getting older, and older; that his time to find his ‘true love’ was running out.

He thinks it’s kind of nice that she’s finally off his back about it, that she’s happy for him. He ponders the possibility of just marrying Kurt to get her off his back  _for good,_ but he realizes it’s a reach. And he knows that Kurt would never go for a fake wedding, even though he jumped into the role of fake fiancé completely. He’s smiling at the thought of planning a full fake wedding, how ridiculous it would be, and his mom must notice because she says, knowingly, “You’re thinking about Kurt aren’t you? You always have that same little smile on your face when you look at him.”

He freezes, because, what? He has a  _specific_ smile when he looks at Kurt? He just nods again, smile strained now, because he has no idea what to do with this, and the more he looks at his mother’s expectant, delighted face, the more nervous he feels.  

She stares at him, and she hates how perceptive she is when she murmurs, “You didn’t realize that you smile at him that way, did you?”

“Not particularly,” He whispers. He knows that he’s supposed to be playing the part of extremely excited and recently engaged but he feels lost, and tired, and so, so confused.

“ _My son, my angel,”_ she murmurs in French, “ _You’re marrying the man, of course you look at him in a special way.”_

A part of Sebastian wants to say, ‘but I’m  _not,_ so explain to me what exactly this ‘special smile’ means,’ but he doesn’t because he’s not certain if he actually wants to know the answer to that question.

She doesn’t ask anything after that, and he’s a little startled by the fact she doesn’t have more questions.

“I’ve kept the two of you apart for long enough,” She says, grinning, “You’re free to go upstairs now.”

He smiles at her, genuine this time, “Thanks. And thanks for breakfast. We’ll make lunch.”

She nods, “As usual.”

As he’s walking up the stairs to his room, he wonders why he never read into the fact that he and Kurt have such a built in routine when they get here. That there’s such a sense of normalcy having Kurt over, to the point it was completely unquestioned that he and Kurt would be making lunch.

\---

“Glad you’ve made yourself comfortable, future husband of mine.” Sebastian mutters derisively, at the sight of Kurt laying against his pillows.

Last night, Kurt on his bed meant absolutely nothing to him, it was completely platonic and the image certainly didn’t cause a minor panic in the very pit of his stomach. At least, as far as he noticed. He thinks back to that normalcy, that routine they have, and he wonders if he’d ever be able to function completely without Kurt around. He thinks that he answer might be  _no,_ and it shoots waves of nervous energy down his spine.

Everything seems like  _more,_ with his mother downstairs thinking that they were engaged, it just felt  _different_ , he’s not sure what changed, and he’s not even completely sure if he likes it.

Kurt looks pained at the mention of said engagement and Sebastian has always hated the way he looked when he was upset, especially when he’s the one to cause it, so he’s quick to assert, “Hey, relax, we’ll figure it out.”

“It’s a good thing I’m the smart one out of the two of us because I already  _have_ it figured out.” Kurt snaps, disdain apparent in his voice.

Sebastian doesn’t particularly appreciate Kurt’s tone, so mutters, “Well there wouldn’t be any figuring out if you just kept your mouth  _shut._ ”

“Of course, because  _I_ was the one running around fake-proposing with the door wide open, right?” Kurt grumbles back, glaring at Sebastian.

“Touché,” He shrugs, before settling down next to him on the bed and continuing, “So what exactly is your plan?”

“We’ll just pretend to be engaged while we’re here, and then in a few months, tell your mom that we decided we were better off as friends. Fool proof,” Kurt suggests, clearly enthused by his idea.

Sebastian doesn’t share his excitement though, “So you’re saying we just play this up some more, pretend we love each other enough to want to get married, for a few  _months,_ maybe.Let her get even  _more_  attached to the idea of us together only to pull it all back and say ‘Joke’s on you maman, we never even liked each other!’ You’re completely right, you _are_  the genius between us, bravo,” he rants angrily, his arms gesturing wildly, glaring openly at Kurt.

Kurt looks chastised but he still complains, “Well it’s better than the non-existent ideas that you’ve come up with!”

Sebastian knows that Kurt went to the most dramatic scenario he could imagine, because that’s the kind of person he is, so he explains, gently, “Look, I think the sooner we tell her the better. It’s just a matter of being delicate about it.”

“Well we can’t tell her the truth; that we were mocking the very institution of marriage. You saw how happy she was. We can’t just destroy all her hopes like that!” Kurt groans.

Sebastian doesn’t let himself ponder the reasons behind Kurt’s intense desire to ensure his mother’s happiness. He doesn’t want spend any time thinking about the way his heart seems to be doing somersaults by the way Kurt so earnestly cares about his mother, the warmth spreading through his veins at the genuine distress Kurt feels at upsetting her, instead chooses to think of ways to make sure this doesn’t get any more out of hand than it already has.

“What if we just pretend that it never happened? I mean, it’s not like you have a ring or anything and she  _is_ getting old. She might think she dreamed it or something.” Sebastian suggests, only half serious.

Kurt doesn’t look amused when he responds, “That’s an awful idea! We are not letting your mother think she’s going crazy. You’re a terrible son.”

“Yeah, but manipulating her into thinking we’re a super happy couple is a _great_ idea, right?” Sebastian grumbles.

“It’s better than your idea, at least.” Kurt replies, rolling his eyes

Sebastian doesn’t say anything in response, partly because he doesn’t want to give Kurt any satisfaction, so they remain silent, but only for a moment before Kurt startles, hands balled up in fists, and exclaiming, “What if we got her to be  _not_ excited for the engagement? If she thought you were upset about it, there’s no  _way_ she would want us to get married.”

Sebastian grins, “I guess I could wander around looking distressed. It wouldn’t be too far of a reach, the thought of spending the rest of my life with you kind of makes me want to throw up,” winking at Kurt.

Kurt rolls his eyes, and murmurs, “Just make sure you don’t perform too well. I still want Camille to like me.”

Sebastian softens, and whispers, “She will. Sometimes, I think she likes you more than she likes me. I’m a terrible son, after all.” His hand presses lightly against Kurt’s shoulder, in the hopes of comforting him.

Kurt smiles, “Most people like me better, Seb.” He softens for a moment for before continuing, “And you  _did_ stop me from trying to emotionally exploit her, so I guess you’re not so bad.” He’s silent for a moment, seeming to enjoy the gentle touch of Sebastian’s hand stroking him before pulling away quickly, “C’mon, let’s go downstairs and be the worst couple ever.” He grins, excitedly, jumping up off the bed and walking towards the door, his enthusiasm infectious.

Sebastian doesn’t say anything, just follows him, with a small smile. He wonders what else he’d do, if Kurt asked.


	4. Chapter 4

“Well maybe if you fixed your horse teeth and your CW hair, Vogue would have kept you around,” Kurt grumbles, as they walk down the stairs, jumping right into their plan immediately. The glint in Kurt’s eyes let Sebastian know that he’s joking, but Camille’s at the base of the steps looking distraught. Phase one, set in motion, Sebastian thinks. He tries to justify to himself that this isn’t nearly the same kind of manipulation that would have happened if they pretended to be together. It’s a lot less confusing, at the very least.

Sebastian mumbles, “At least I have teeth.” He brings on his best glare and continues sarcastically, “Of course, love, it has nothing to do with the _way better_ job I have now.”

“Better? Are you saying that Vogue isn’t any good?” Kurt screeches, pulling Sebastian towards the living room once they’ve reached the bottom of the steps.

“Yeah, Kurt, for a _journalist?_  Working at Vogue was actually the worst. You _know_ that I don’t care about what the latest trends are!” The argument reminds Sebastian of the things they used to say to each other back when they weren’t really friends, when they were strictly coworkers. The way Sebastian grumble something about Vogue being fake news, just to see Kurt’s eyes narrow in rage, to see the kind reaction he could get.

“Please. That much is obvious by the clothes you choose to dress yourself in,” Kurt mutters, giving him a once over.

Sebastian recoils for a moment before hissing, “At least I wear clothes that are meant for my _gender.”_

“Fashion has no gender, Sebastian!” Kurt yells, as Sebastian mouths along, mocking him, waving his arms in the air.

Kurt glowers at him, then complains, something about, “worst fiancé ever,” and it’s evident Camille catches it, the way her face immediately falls.

She looks like she wants to say something, but she stays silent, her gaze shifting between the two of them.

Sebastian glances at her once, briefly, then seethes, “I’m not the one who started this.” Kurt rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, “Of course not, Seb, you’re completely perfect and you’ve obviously never done anything wrong in your life,” he murmurs sarcastically.

Sebastian remembers Kurt telling him not to be too mean, so he doesn’t respond, just glares some more. But he thinks that maybe this is necessary, that maybe this will help _everyone_ realize that this isn’t real, himself especially.

\---

Camille’s shocked and confused, she’s not quite sure what exactly happened in the span of a few hours, but the two of them certainly don’t look anything like the happy couple that she spied on earlier, getting _engaged._ She remembers the way Sebastian twirled Kurt, the way they both laughed, ecstatic.

She’s well aware of the fact that arguments are completely normal within relationships; people can’t always get along a hundred percent of the time. She also knows that Sebastian has a tendency to antagonize more often than he apologizes, and this predisposition could potentially cause a rift between them. Kurt has told her himself that Sebastian can be extremely stubborn at times, so she understands where their issues may lie.

She doesn’t want to contemplate the possibilities of what might happen if they continue having petty arguments in this manner; if they ended up getting married perpetually arguing with each other.

It’s such a shift from the way she felt before; how delighted she was. She’s still excited, it has just, diminished, a little. She’s always wanted her son to get married, but, she can’t help but think it might be too soon for them. She knows that they care very deeply for each other, that much is obvious. But she’s a mother and it’s written in her job description to worry, so she doesn’t think she’s being too dramatic, because she cares about _both_ of them. She certainly doesn’t want them arguing their way into health problems and future resentment, that’s for sure.

She thinks about asking them what’s wrong, directly, but she knows that they’ll just put a brave face on for her. They’ll say it’s no big deal, a simple lover’s quarrel. But she saw how _annoyed_ Sebastian looked, and how ready to attack Kurt was.

She plans on putting a few couple’s counselling phone numbers on the table, subtly, so that maybe they’ll think about, and realize that getting help is a completely viable option for them. It’s normal these days, to go into therapy. Maybe they just need the push. 

She goes into her study to try and figure out a game plan. There was no way she would ever let her son go into a marriage if he wasn’t truly happy. And there was _definitely_ no way she would ever let two of her favorite people ruin each other. That’s something she _refuses_ to think about.

\---

“I think it’s working!” Kurt hisses enthusiastically as he chops vegetables for the salad he’s making to accompany the lasagna Sebastian’s working on. “She looked like she wanted to punch me when I called you an awful fiancé!”

Sebastian smiles at the ridiculous situation he’s somehow found himself him, how it’s kind of fucked up that they’re messing with his mom to try and get her to break them up, to get her to not approve. While it’s not nearly the same as pretending to _actually_ be in love, it’s still an extremely strange situation to be in. Even though his mom looked so upset, Sebastian justifies it in his own mind because it’s better than waiting for her to be hurt in the future. Always rip off the bandage all at once, he’s learned, the pain fades quicker, that way. He’s also completely sure this is something he can use in a short story, of some kind, but he files the thought away for another time.

Even though it doesn’t really make much sense, no matter how many ways he rationalizes it, he goes with it, because he knows better than anyone that once Kurt has latched on to an idea, he’ll see to it that it gets completed. This was also the best plan they had. Granted, they didn’t actually think about it for very long, but they didn’t really have much time, either.

Kurt keeps going, “And the way she just stormed into her study! It was a truly classic dramatic exit. I’ll have to compliment her on it, once this all blows over.” Kurt opens the fridge, pulling out more ingredients, “I bet she’s in there practicing ways to say, ‘maybe you two were better off as friends, Bastian,’ as politely as possible,” he murmurs, mimicking Camille’s accent.

“She probably is,” Sebastian mumbles back. He knows his mother wants him to get married, but he hopes that she places his _happiness_ above that need. He teases, “Nice touch with the eye rolls, by the way. You make an excellent petulant teenager.”

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Seb. I _do_ look like a teenager.” Kurt jokes back, as he chops vegetables diligently.

Sebastian rolls his eyes, “I didn’t say you _looked_ like a teenager. I know all about those grey hairs you dye, Hummel.”

“Stop talking, Seb, or we’ll be in a _real_ fight,” Kurt trills. Sebastian chuckles, quietly, “You can’t hide from the truth forever, babe.”

Kurt rolls his eyes, a light blush high on his cheeks, “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that, for your own good.” Then he turns and holds a hand out, “The dressing, please.” Sebastian nods and hands it off without a second thought.

A moment later, Sebastian holds out a spoonful of the sauce he’s been working on, “Taste this, something’s missing but I’m not sure what.”

Kurt swallows it quickly and replies, “More garlic, the answer is always more garlic.”

Sebastian nods in agreement, wipes the bit of sauce that managed to get on Kurt’s upper lip, “You really are a genius.”

Kurt smiles “That’s why you’re marrying me,” with a wink. Sebastian just keeps working, letting the butterflies in his stomach fly wildly, as warmth fills up his body all the way up, starting from his toes.

\---

Camille chooses precisely that moment to walk by the kitchen, she knows that they’ll be working hard on lunch and she’s a little bit concerned by the fact they’re surrounded by a variety of weapons. She knows they would never _actually_ use them, but still. Even though there isn’t the risk of bodily injury, there’s a particularly high chance they’ll pull something subtle, like putting salt in the other’s dessert. She doesn’t want to be around for the aftermath of _that._

She planned to share her list of couple’s counselors with them, reviews and all. Just mutter something casually about, “Oh! Would you look at that, some of my friends were telling me about problems they were having in their relationships and how these lovely people helped them out.” All she had to do was plant the seed, she knows that they would be smart enough to figure out the rest.

Only, now, when she sees them whisper at each other happily, how synchronized they are in the kitchen, it’s clear that they already worked out their issues on their own. She realizes now, it’s very possible that she jumped on the defensive too quickly.

Although Sebastian had told her that they were together for several months, she _did_ only just find out about their relationship today. It was only human nature for her to be concerned with the way they were handling things if they were already arguing so intensely within a day of being engaged. Clearly, she realizes then, that her confusion was misguided and the two of them know what they’re doing.

She gives them privacy, and goes back to her room, smiling brightly, the two men completely unaware that she ever came in.


	5. Chapter 5

Camille hears Sebastian call, “Mom, lunch is ready,” so she walks out of her room, grinning, because she’ll finally get to talk _wedding details_ with her two boys. Sure, it might be a little too soon, but she’s excited, more so now than before because she knows they’re both fine and happy again.

Except, it doesn’t quite work out the way she planned. Once they’re all eating after the table’s been set, she’s extremely amused and slightly surprised by the way Kurt and Sebastian continue their little argument, _especially_ after she saw them interacting in the kitchen.

“Kurt, the very least you could do is pretend to have some semblance of manners while you’re at the table,” Sebastian sasses, rolling his eyes as Kurt glares at him and slouches more.

“Because you’d know _all_ about manners right, Seb?” Kurt snaps back, grumbling.

Camille cuts in with a soft murmur, “Bastian, hand me the salad, will you? It’s delicious.”

Kurt looks confused, and it’s probably because of how nonchalant she’s being while they continue to glare at each other like children. She wants to laugh, but she doesn’t because the look her son’s face is pained, and she wants it gone as soon as possible.

She’s sure that all Kurt wants is an apology, and she knows that Sebastian needs a push to give one, so when she gets up to grab a glass of water, she whispers in her son’s ear, “Honestly, this has gone on long enough, I’m sure if you just say _sorry_ everything will be fine again.”

She flounces off, hoping that by the time she comes back, they’ll be smiling again.

\---

Kurt asks quickly, “Was she telling you to break up with me?”

He’s clearly excited and Sebastian pales because that’s absolutely _not_ what his mother said. Not even close.

He’s not sure why she still thinks they’re good together, they’ve been sniping at each other all day, and all throughout lunch. If anything, he thought that she’d believe Kurt was a bad influence, but apparently not. Maybe she’s really desperate to get him married off and she thinks that Kurt’s the only person that would put up with him. He knows that’s a partially true statement, Kurt does deal with his less enjoyable traits extremely well, but he pouts anyway.

“She told me to apologize, actually.” Sebastian murmurs.

Kurt looks pleased, and Sebastian’s sure it’s because his mother assumes this fake fight is _his_ fault.

“See, I told you my mother liked you more.” Sebastian groans at Kurt’s small smile.

Kurt ignores him, and says, “We have to play it up when she gets back. Just follow my lead.”

\---

Camille comes back, sipping her water to see them whispering furiously at each other. She’s pleased, because maybe Sebastian took her advice and he’s actually apologizing. Unfortunately, she notices then the way Sebastian shifts completely away from Kurt and stares intently, a bit angrily, at his food.

Kurt asks, “Seb, hand me the pepper will you, this lasagna’s not nearly spicy enough.”

Sebastian glares, Camille assumes it’s because he’s very proud of the way he cooks and Kurt just insulted the flavor of what he made. He growls, “Get it yourself.”

Kurt rolls his eyes and complains, “Honestly, you’re being ridiculous.”

“Oh, _I’m_ being ridiculous? If you hate my cooking so much why are you even eating it, huh?”

“I never said that! Ugh, I can’t talk to you when you’re like this.”

Sebastian looks back at his food and starts stabbing his salad furiously with his fork. Maybe Camille wasn’t completely off base with being worried about the number of potential weapons in the kitchen.

Kurt turns to Camille, looks mildly apologetic, before dropping his utensils with a loud clang, and storming off, upstairs, into the room.

Sebastian calls after him, “Of _course,_ just leave your dirty dishes on the table for me to clean up, no problem, I am your maid after all, right?”

Camille thinks she’s getting a headache from the two of their antics, and thinks back to the list of counselors she compiled. Maybe she really _wasn’t_ too quick to jump to the defensive.

But then she remembers how easily they worked together, how it was so  _natural._ She’s not completely sure what could help them, but she figures if there’s anything that _will,_  it’s some time alone, to talk about what their problems are in peace. They probably have  _some_ kind of system devised for times like these. She knows that Sebastian would never get engaged to someone without being completely sure that they were right for him to spend the rest of his life with, so she chooses to trust that, and give them the space they need to work it out.

They finish their meal in silence. While he's washing the dishes, she grabs her purse and states, her arms crossed, “Sebastian, darling, I’m going shopping for a few hours. When I get back I expect the two of you to have sorted out whatever it is your little problem is.”

As she’s walking out the door she turns back to shout, “If you don’t, I’ll have to step in and _solve it for you!”_

Sebastian looks shocked, and she figures it’s because of how level headed she’s being, because at least _one_ of the adults in the house should behave like it. She leaves immediately after, because the sooner she leaves, the sooner they’ll _fix it._

\---

When Sebastian comes up the stairs, a little bit later, Kurt asks, maybe a touch too excited, “So did she tell you that we were better off as friends?”

“Nah, she’s giving us time to, _work out our frustrations.”_ Sebastian grins, flirty.

“Are you kidding?” Kurt groans, at this rate, they’ll have to adopt three kids and a dog and move to a house in the suburbs of New Jersey. Kurt _hates_ New Jersey, it’s smelly and weird and too far away from everything he loves in New York. Sure, they could _probably_ raise kids in New York but the private education system here for children is slightly lacking. He’s sure if they looked hard enough they’d be able to find _somewhere_ to send their kids, because it is guaranteed that anywhere would be better than _public school_ in Ohio. Anything. Children aren't his only concern, of course. Kurt would have to change his name and Kurt Smythe sounds _awful._ Sebastian Hummel sounds even worse. Kurt doesn’t think about the way _Hummel-Smythe_ has a pretty okay ring to it, because it can’t come to that, it _can’t._

Kurt realizes that he’s _maybe_ overreacting, but he can’t help it. To him, this seems like the kind of situation where overreacting is completely warranted.

“My mom’s ridiculous, I know. But she’ll come around,” Sebastian shrugs, nonchalant, cutting into Kurt throwing himself into more panic.

Kurt doesn’t say anything, just looks at him nervously, so Sebastian takes that as a cue to continue.

“I mean, _she is_ the one that taught me how to cook, after all. I’m sure if you keep insulting my food, she’ll throw you out herself.” Sebastian says, smiling.

“You know that was just part of the act right? I’m kind of pissed I didn’t think to finish eating first. I’m still craving that delicate sauce,” Kurt nearly moans.

Sebastian laughs, “I figured. But you have to admit, my line about being your maid was _pretty_ spectacular.”

“It really was. I had to stop myself from laughing because I knew it would give us away.” Kurt responds, grin bright and easy.

Kurt wonders, how it is, that Sebastian managed to talk him out of his internal panic without really saying anything at all. He doesn’t think about it for much longer, because Sebastian’s asking him about a new piece he’s working on and he wants Kurt’s advice, so he shifts all his attention on that, instead. 

\---

That evening, long after Camille is finished with her shopping, they’re all gathered in the living room, ready to watch news, like they always do. Camille notices how Kurt and Sebastian have chosen to sit with a significant amount of space between them. She frowns, because she was certain that they would have worked out their problems by now, especially with all the _alone time_ she gave them earlier. She was sure they’d be back to looking as comfortable as they did in the kitchen.

So she’s quick to reprimand them, she doesn’t want them to feel uncomfortable in her home. “Nope. I saw you working in the kitchen, I know how close you two can get! You are engaged, act like it!” She’s too busy shoving at Sebastian’s shoulder to get him to move closer to Kurt to notice the look of pure horror on Kurt’s face.

\---

Kurt has absolutely no idea what to think. He’s never felt so uncertain in his life. Camille saw them working in the kitchen? And she inferred from that, they were okay, and what a happy couple would look like? A happy couple _to be wed?_ It terrifies him, because they hadn’t even realized that Camille was there, that was just _them_ , being themselves.

He finally lets himself dwell on the butterflies he had, before, imagining a future with Sebastian, and what should make him feel excited, makes him feel kind of sick. He knows that this is fake, that there’s nothing between them because they aren’t even _together,_ but the realization that he _wants_ them to be together is too much to handle, right now. He thinks back to the way _Hummel-Smythe_ sounded so pleasing to him, and has no desire to deal with his new-found feelings. Especially when he’s been spending so much telling himself and his family that he’s more than happy by himself.

So he figures he has no other choice to leave when he blurts, “I have to go,” and gets up to disappear, before anyone can stop him. He doesn’t particularly know where he’s going, all he knows is that he can’t be _here._ Not when he’s been spending the better part of today pretending to be _engaged_ to the guy that he just figured out he has feelings for. Not when Camille’s smiling face, excitement at said _fake engagement_ makes him want to splay himself on the ground and get kicked in the head. He knows that’s a strange reaction to have, but he can’t help it, because of how _weird_ everything is now. He wants nothing more than to go back to the way it was before, he was _happy,_ completely content with being just friends with Sebastian and focusing on his career.

He doesn’t _want_ to have to look at Sebastian differently, not when he has no idea what’s going through Sebastian’s head, other than the fact that he’s heard him say, “Marriage is a social construct invented by people who are lonely and it means absolutely nothing,” on multiple occasions. The fact that he himself has _agreed_ with that statement more than once just makes it all worse.

It’s strange, realizing what he’s been deliberately trying to swallow down, that he has real, genuine _feelings_ for Sebastian. He feels thrown off balance in a way he can’t describe. It’s almost like he feels seasick, even though he’s on dry land. His stomach seems to have dropped down to his toes and his heart can’t seem to stop pounding. All he really knows is that he needs to leave, as fast as he can. Because staring at Camille’s expectant face, watching the way Sebastian shifts and his bright green eyes stare holes into his skin make him so, so nervous.

He doesn’t pay attention to Camille’s disappointment, he barely registers the pained expression on Sebastian’s face. He leaves before anyone can say another word, because he fully refuses to lose what he has with Sebastian. He can’t let his foolish emotions get in the way of a friendship that’s meant so much to him for the past five years all because he can’t control himself.

Some time alone will help him understand that what he’s feeling is just, temporary. And on the chance it isn’t, at the very least he’ll be able to practice his acting skills some more to swallow it down, put all those butterflies he’s finally let free on total lock down. Because he can’t stand the thought of Sebastian saying, “This is making me a little uncomfortable,” the idea of Sebastian murmuring, soft, “Maybe we’re not good as friends, either,” makes him sick to his stomach. He can handle killing off a few butterflies if it means he gets to keep Sebastian in his life.

He leaves without a second word, or glance, ignoring the irrational, fleeting disappointment he feels in the pit of his stomach that nobody stopped him, that _Sebastian_ didn’t stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kurt is truly the definition of melodramatic. don't worry, Sebastian gets to be (a little) melodramatic next chapter ;)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting the last two chapters at once! Hope you like the last few parts :)

Kurt’s gone, he left out the door without a second glance, and Sebastian’s moping. He’s completely aware of the fact he’s moping, but he feels like someone kicked him in the face. And then a few times in the stomach, just for good measure. So he feels completely justified in his moping.

He also feels particularly dramatic, because it’s not like he didn’t see this coming. It’s _weird_ , pretending to be fucking _engaged_ to someone that you’re friends with. Who even does that? It’s definitely not normal friend behavior. And sure, Kurt was the one who jumped in head first into the role, and  _sure_ he came up with most of the ideas they had in the end, to get out of the mess they inadvertently got themselves into. It didn't make the situation any less strange. 

Of course Kurt left, why wouldn’t he? His mom just told him that they looked like they were _a happy couple_ when they were just hanging out normally in the kitchen, making lunch like they always did. What else was Kurt going to do with that information? Sebastian himself isn’t quite sure what to do with that information, all he knows is that it makes him feel invincible. He’s not certain what to do with that, but he feels it anyway. He wonders if maybe Kurt feels like that too, but he doesn’t think about it because the hope that bubbles up within him, almost instantly at the thought, makes him nervous in a way he hasn’t been for a long time.

His mom has been shooting him confused, pained, glances for the past twenty minutes and he knows he’s not being himself, so her concern certainly makes sense. She mumbles, “Was it something I said? I’m sorry,” and Sebastian feels like the world’s biggest asshole, because his mom is sitting there thinking she _broke up_ her son and his fiancé, or at least made their fight worse. What kind of awful son lets his mother believe that? Spends all this time planning ways to manipulate her feelings and hurt her? Regardless of intentions, she’s hurt, and it’s his fault. He wanted to avoid exactly that look on her face and he feels stupid for thinking that this was the way to do it.

He should have been honest upfront, and he knows that it’s better to tell the truth late than not at all. He can’t take lying to her anymore, can’t take the awful feeling in the pit of his stomach at the sadness in her eyes, the very sadness he was trying to avoid, and blurts, “We’re not together. We never were.”

She’s shocked and bewildered and so confused when she mutters, “But I heard the engagement; and the way you look at each other-”

Sebastian cuts her off because he doesn’t want to hear about the glances they’ve been giving each other, he finds it easiest to ignore the way it makes him feel, “We were joking.”

She breathes, “Oh.” And just like that, Sebastian hates himself more than he has in years.

He’s not going to cry over this, but he has to explain himself, has to make sure she understands, “You were so excited! I just didn’t want to disappoint you.”

“Darling, you could never disappoint me,” she replies, in her perfect Mom tone, even though he can tell that she’s kind of disappointed by all of this anyway.

He groans in despair, he thinks that being around Kurt has made him more prone to dramatics than he ever was before. She sits next to him on the couch, “Your happiness is what makes me happy, darling. I push you to get married because I want you to have someone in your life who takes care of you, and you know that I won’t be around forever. I never wanted you to think you had do all of this, to make me happy.”

“ _Mom._ ” He hates it, hates that it’s true, because he’s already lost one parent and he can’t stand the thought of losing her too. Right now, sitting next to her, with his head on her shoulder, he feels like he’s sixteen, and not nearly thirty.

“Look, I know you can take care of yourself. But, is it really so wrong that I want you to have someone who makes you feel like you can conquer the world? Is it so bad to want that for my only son?” She has tears in her eyes and he feels himself tear up at the sight.

He whispers, “Of course not, mom, I love you.”

“I love you too, darling.” She responds, stroking his hair.

\---

Camille wonders when exactly their dynamic switched to her son protecting her, and trying to look after her feelings. She can’t help but feel unnecessary, like maybe he doesn’t need her, like maybe, he’s grown up to the point where she’s just this annoyance in his life, harping on him to get married. She thinks back to all the conversations they’d had about this, the way they always ended with Sebastian grumbling at her, annoyed and distraught. She knows she jumped in to the idea of him and Kurt getting married with full force, but it really was only because she wanted to see him happy. That’s all she’s ever wanted. So seeing him like this, knowing that she caused, she feels like a terrible mother.

But then he speaks, in a voice so small that she nearly misses it, “None of this matters anyway. I’m pretty sure Kurt hates me, now. He would never want to be with me, for real, not after this.” And she realizes that Sebastian will always need her, just like she will always need him.

So she smiles and mutters, “Don’t be silly, I thought I raised you better than to give up so easily, without even trying.”

“Mom” he whines, sounding more like a petulant teenager than he has all day, “You’re supposed to be on _my_ side.”

She laughs at his tone and murmurs, “He’s overwhelmed, darling. You let me sit here planning your _future_ and the two of you have never even been on a date. Of course he’d run away! Wouldn’t you, if the roles were reversed?”

He looks her in the eye and groans, “Why are you always right?”

She laughs, “I’m your mother, darling. It’s my job.”

Sebastian looks annoyed when he murmurs, “I have to go after him don’t I?”

“Well, it is Smythe tradition to break into song and admit feelings, is it not?” Smiling at the faint memory of Andrew softly singing _This Guy’s in Love With You,_ as she tears of joy spilled down her cheeks.

Sebastian smiles, knowing exactly what she’s referring to, but maintains, “I’m not singing to him.”

“Well you should, darling, you have a beautiful voice. If he wasn’t in love with you before, I’m sure that would help him change his mind. I know that Andrew’s song only ever confirmed that we were meant for each other.” she encourages.

He rolls his eyes, “ _Mom._ Serious ideas only.”

“You could always propose, for real,” she suggests, grinning, feeling a little childish.

“I think he’d have a break down and then punch me in the face.” Sebastian pauses for a moment, and smiles, “Besides, I still don’t have a ring. I know you bought my excuse about picking it out together but do you really think that Kurt Hummel would ever say yes to someone that didn’t have a ring?”

She laughs quietly, then murmurs pointedly, “Bastian, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Just tell him that you want to try for real. And that all of these _lies_ helped you realize that.”

Sebastian winces at the mention of lies, then jokes, wryly, “You know you can’t ground me for lying anymore, right?”

Camille smacks him in response, and declares, “I have absolutely no issues with grounding you if you don’t tell Kurt how you feel.”

Sebastian looks at her and grins “Looks like you got what you wanted after all. Me wanting to settle down.” She’s proud of him for not sounding disgusted when he says the words. Progress, small progress, yes, but progress nonetheless. Baby steps are better than no steps at all, she’s always believed.

“Don’t speak so soon, darling, I still want grandchildren.” She mutters, with a wink.

Sebastian pales and says, “Let me first make sure that Kurt doesn’t want to bodily harm me.”

“Of course,” She replies patiently. “Just, please. The next time you propose, give me a head’s up, okay?”

“Don’t worry mom. Not happening any time soon,” Sebastian mutters dryly, with a small smile on his face.

Camille smiles, mischievous glint in her eyes and nods, waving him off, “Go make sure Kurt doesn’t hate you.” He mumbles, “Thanks, maman,” and she smiles.

She knows that she doesn’t have to hound him to settle down anymore, but she’s hopeful that he’ll call her with good news, for real this time, very soon.


	7. Chapter 7

When Sebastian leaves his mother’s house there are only a few places that he imagines Kurt would be. He thinks about how he’s totally pulling the whole ‘running to your true love’ cliché and he kind of hates that it makes him _so happy._  He realizes that he’d run as fast as he could for the rest of his life if it meant that Kurt would be waiting for him, at the end of it all. He never expected himself to become a cliché, but then he hears Kurt’s voice in the back of his mind, “You wear popped collars, Seb, and you don’t do it ironically. Of course you’re a cliché.”

Sebastian finds Kurt exactly where he thought he would, sitting by the creek bed he showed him a few months ago.

Kurt was feeling particularly uninspired, that day, furious that all his sketches looked like old catalogues and brought absolutely nothing new to the table. Discouraged, because he was supposed to have something new to show at the next meeting. Kurt had been sniping at him the entire day, no matter how many times he tried to soothe him, tried to remind him that he was one of the best employees at Vogue. So Sebastian brought him here; it was mainly empty space, where the stars shined brightly.

It always helped him clear his head, and at the time he was certain that it would do the same for Kurt. He remembers Kurt whispering, in astonishment, “I didn’t know there were places like this in New York.” He recalls how Kurt hugged him at the end of the night, tight, his face buried in his neck, the way he whispered, “Thank you, Seb.” Back then, he attributed the warmth he felt deep in his bones to the fact that he and Kurt were finally good friends. Now, he thinks, maybe he was falling for Kurt this entire time, and he never even noticed.

His Dad was the one who introduced him to the spot, many years ago, when he got sick of Sebastian complaining about writer’s block. He remembers feeling like he was never going to be a good enough writer, not when he couldn’t even finish a small project for a class that wasn’t even all that difficult. He can still hear his Dad saying, “Sometimes, all you need is a shift in perspective,” as he pointed up at the stars above them.

Something small brightens within him, when he realizes that Kurt chose to go to a place that has such a deep personal connection to him.

He’s not completely sure what to start with, but he doesn’t want to stand behind Kurt like a huge creep for any longer, so he murmurs, tone light, “Can you believe that I feel like I’ve aged three years in just one day?”

Kurt tenses at the sound of his voice, and Sebastian hopes that Kurt isn't upset to see him when he looks up at him blankly and softly replies, “I feel the same way.”

“I’m surprised you’re sitting on the ground without fear of your clothes getting dirty, Mr. Vogue dot com. You always insist on bringing a blanket when we come out here.” Sebastian says, trying to diffuse the tension, as he settles down next to him.

Kurt doesn't let him though, just stares at him and says, bluntly, “Stop stalling. Just tell me what you want to say.”

With no preamble, Sebastian whispers, “I love you.”

Kurt’s eyes widen and he mumbles back, “Shit, way to drop a bomb, Seb.”

Sebastian smiles, “I’m serious. All of this, pretending to be engaged to you, kind of made me realize that I’ve maybe been ignoring the feelings I have for you.” He pauses, in part for dramatic effect and in part because he wants to makes sure he gets this out right, “Because it scares me how much I want to be with you.”

Sebastian doesn’t need to talk about the way he’s avoided commitments since the last guy he had serious feelings for broke his heart, Kurt knows all the details already. He doesn’t need to say that he’s still afraid, because he’s pretty sure Kurt’s afraid too.

“I may have had a similar realization.” Kurt smiles wryly, moves closer to Sebastian and drops his head onto Sebastian’s shoulder.

Sebastian replies, feeling so much brighter knowing that Kurt feels the same, dryly, “I never would have guessed, the way you ran out on me like that.”

Kurt looks sheepish when he says, “Hey, I'm scared too.”

Sebastian nods, not sure what to say because he knows, knows exactly how scary this is. He feels like a teenager, not for the first time today, the way the butterflies flutter nervously in his stomach. The feeling is predictable, the way he just told the man of his dreams he loved him. “My mom said I should sing to you.”

Kurt laughs, “I’m not going to discourage that. Camille’s a smart one.”

They don’t say anything for a moment, they just stare up at the sky, and Sebastian presses a gentle kiss to the top of Kurt’s head, thankful for the proximity, and the comfort the closeness brings.

Kurt smiles, just a small smile, and pulls Sebastian down, so they’re both laying against the prickly grass, the coolness of the night sky enveloping them, before whispering, gently against his collarbone, “I love you, too.”

Sebastian beams, doesn’t bother hiding his smile, leans over to Kurt to kiss him, on the lips this time, quickly, and he relishes in the way Kurt follows his mouth. He mumbles, “love you, beautiful” against Kurt’s lips, smiling into the kiss. He feels Kurt smiling back, before the kiss deepens, and Kurt grabs roughly at Sebastian’s shirt, trying his best to pull them up out of his pants.

“Never thought you would be one to get off on public sex, babe.” Sebastian whispers, as Kurt mouths at his neck.

“Stop ruining the moment, Seb.” Sebastian can feel the curve of Kurt’s smile against jaw, and he feels on top of the world. Like he could conquer the world, if he wanted, echoing his mother’s sentiments from mere moments ago.

Sebastian lets Kurt unbutton his shirt, lets him kiss along his collarbone, lets his fingertips scratch lightly against his chest. He stops Kurt before he gets to opening his pants, though, causing Kurt to whine in disapproval. Sebastian laughs, soft, like the sky swirling above them, whispers, “I always knew you’d be desperate for it.”

Kurt glares at him, says, “Like you’re not,” he moans, briefly, with the way Sebastian’s fingers are gently gliding across the small of his back, under his shirt, “I can _feel_ just how desperate you are.”

Sebastian smiles, “I was never shy about that, I just don’t want to get dirt on my junk.”

Kurt pouts, but agrees, “You’re right, we’re too old for this, anyway. I can feel my back creaking.” He pauses, enjoying the closeness for a moment before pushing himself up off of Sebastian to stand.

Sebastian wants to whine at the loss of Kurt’s warmth, but doesn’t protest beyond that. He gets up as well, hugging Kurt from behind, holding him tight because he can, now.

Kurt turns in Sebastian’s arms, murmurs, “Let's get out of here, Seb,” looking up at him with a sparkle in his eyes, kissing him quickly.

“As you wish,” is Sebastian’s response, as he reluctantly pulls out of the embrace. He reaches for Kurt’s hand and lets him lead the way, the stars twinkling brightly behind them.

\---

They don’t go back to Camille’s, Kurt thinks it’s because they’ve already put her through enough. That she probably needs a break after the whirlwind day they’ve all had. Instead, they end up back at Kurt’s apartment, still holding hands.

Kurt’s pushing him into his bedroom, and they’re kissing, long and deep kisses that Kurt can feel in his toes. He hears Sebastian laugh, “You’re so hot when you’re desperate,” and Kurt kisses him again, because he _is_ and he’s not going to try and dispute it. The backs of Sebastian’s legs hit Kurt's bed, and he lets himself fall back, pulling Kurt on top of him, for the second time in just a few short hours.

Kurt can’t quite believe that this is happening so fast. Just this morning they were happy to be single, eager to joke about commitment and engagement and now, they were confessing their love for each other? He pulls back from the kiss, suddenly completely concerned and convinced that they were doing this for all the wrong reasons.

Sebastian looks confused when he asks, his voice rough, “What’s wrong, babe?”

Sebastian’s fingers are trailing along Kurt’s spine but he can’t focus on that not when he’s fixated on the word _babe,_ because since when was Sebastian into pet names?

Sure, he’d called Kurt baby in the morning, but that was all a _joke._ And yeah, maybe said it a few times after that, but, right now, when Sebastian is underneath him on his _bed_ , everything seems to mean so much _more._ He knows he should take the time to word this carefully, make sure that his thoughts come out coherent, but he ends up blurting, “What the hell are we doing?”

Sebastian grins, flirty, and he drawls, “ _Well_ , we were making out before you so rudely interrupted.” Kurt glares at him in response and Sebastian continues, teasing, “I know you’re not a virgin, so I really don’t see what the problem is.”

Kurt’s annoyed by how nonchalant Sebastian’s being, like they didn’t just _admit their feelings for each other,_ after years and years of laughing at their friends for doing the same thing. It feels wrong and weird and even though Kurt knows that he wasn’t _lying_ when he told Sebastian he loved him, it’s just so strange, that it happened at all _._

Sebastian realizes that Kurt wants to stop, must sense that Kurt’s on his way to pulling away completely, so he sits up fully, pulling Kurt to sit on top of him. Sebastian doesn’t let him pull away, his hands resting lightly at Kurt’s sides. There’s a part of Kurt that wants to get up, that wants to be anywhere else, but Sebastian’s proximity is comforting, and he can’t stand the thought of letting go.

“You don’t think all of this is a little...sudden?” Kurt asks, warily.

Sebastian shrugs, “Of course it’s sudden. Yesterday I didn’t even know I had feelings for you.”

Kurt stares at him, bewildered, “So why exactly are you so calm about this?”

Sebastian pauses for a moment, collecting his thoughts, he leans in for a kiss, chaste and sweet, Kurt lets him, willingly, because, he feels like he’d do anything Sebastian asked. He pulls back and finally speaks, words quiet and gentle, “Because the second I realized that I did, everything just sort of made sense. Everything just fell into place.”

Kurt wants to hate how earnest he sounds but he can’t because he agrees, he completely agrees.

Kurt settles himself more comfortably in Sebastian’s lap, his arms wrapped around Sebastian’s shoulders, hands brushing through Sebastian’s hair. He feels a little childish when he asks, “So all those things our parents and our friends used to say about ‘finding the right person’ was all true?”

“I guess. I mean, yeah, I want to be with you, but that doesn’t mean we have to go rushing into marriage or anything. We can just _be_ you know? It’s not like neither of us have never been committed to another person, we just weren’t actively seeking it out when they all started saying those things.” Sebastian replies, calm as ever, fingers tracing patterns at the small of Kurt’s back.

Kurt nods, “That makes sense.  My brain just...goes into overdrive, sometimes,” he mumbles back, voice small.  

“Trust me, babe, I know.” Sebastian whispers, smiling. “So can we go back to the kissing, or what?”

Kurt smacks the back of his head, but kisses him anyway. He pulls away for a moment to murmur, “You know everyone’s going to say, ‘I told you so,’ right?”

Sebastian takes a second to reply, groans, “Yeah, probably. I hate it when other people are right.”

Kurt laughs, “It could be worse. I could have tattooed ‘I love you, Sebastian’ on my forehead.”

“Sounds pretty hot, actually.” Sebastian whispers, kissing Kurt, hard.

They stop talking after that, and Kurt is, unsurprisingly, perfectly okay with it. The butterflies he thought he had to get rid of flutter around in his stomach, and Kurt feels more comfortable than he has in years.

\---

In the morning, when Kurt wakes up wrapped up against a warm, naked Sebastian, who's still blissfully asleep, lightly snoring, he can't help but grin softly. He thinks he'd be okay with doing this forever.

* * *

 


End file.
